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Last update - 22:33 09/09/2009
Putin denies secret meeting with Netanyahu
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Vladimir Putin did not meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week in Moscow, a spokesmen for the Russian prime minister said on Wednesday.

Dimitri Peskov told Radio Moscow that Putin had been "busy that day following his pre-prepared schedule, which did not include a meeting with Netanyahu."

Peskov, however, did not explicitly deny that a visit had taken place.
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Earlier Wednesday, a senior Jerusalem official had confirmed that Prime Minister Netanyahu visited Russia on Monday in order to discuss the Kremlin's arms deals with Iran and Syria, and the transfer of Russian military hardware to Hezbollah.

Netanyahu's trip was kept secret and within the prime minister's bureau and only the military affairs secretary, General Meir Kalifi and national security advisor, Uzi Arad were privy to details of the trip. Both men accompanied Netanyahu to Moscow.

No one in the Foreign Ministry was informed of the trip, with the exception of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Defense Minister Ehud Barak was also briefed before the trip, but was ordered not to tell anyone at the Defense Ministry.

The Israeli embassy in Moscow was also not informed of the trip.

The Israeli official said the meeting focused on security issues, and dealt mainly with Russian arms deals to Iran and Syria and Israel reportedly presented the Russian officials with evidence that a great deal of weaponry was making its way into the hands of Hezbollah, posing a serious threat to Israel.

Israel is principally concerned about the sale of anti-aircraft S-300 missiles to Iran. If the missiles were to be positioned outside Iranian nuclear facilities, it would make an Israeli raid very difficult.

Israel is also worried about the sale of surface-to-surface missiles and anti-tank missiles to Syria.

The Prime Minister's office has not issued a denial of the report of the trip.

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      1.   Russia 11:29  |  James 09/09/09
      2.   Hmmmmmmmmmmm. 11:30  |  Johnboy 09/09/09
      3.   surely 11:38  |  juge 09/09/09
      4.   Maybe there are some crises. 11:51  |  Bandar Michaels 09/09/09
      5.   James, Johnboy, etc. are falling for it 12:10  |  See er 09/09/09
      6.   The question is: Why secret? 12:17  |  Justine Effort 09/09/09
      7.   Military Industrial Complex ... 12:42  |  Eisenhower 09/09/09
      8.   Speculation and more speculation. 13:00  |  Stephen. 09/09/09
      9.   Maybe... 13:30  |  Jacques 09/09/09
      10.   Israel seeks a new patron on the Security Council 13:40  |  Mark Lincoln 09/09/09
      11.   #6 And that required a hurried trip, Stephen? 14:34  |  Johnboy 09/09/09
      12.   Israel poses a threat... 14:37  |  Pablo Luis 09/09/09
      13.   Jacques #7 - Not only "maybe"; also "surely", "speculation", hmm, 15:03  |  S 09/09/09
      14.   Nethanyahu`s bow for Putin. 15:12  |  Dutch Dirk 09/09/09
      15.   Netanyahu 15:12  |  Harold 09/09/09
      16.   Trees /Missiles fantasy 15:22  |  Viewer 09/09/09
      17.   russia, olim, oligarchs, israel and all that 15:25  |  mehmet 09/09/09
      18.   Is that why Netanyahu wants to keep it secret? 15:44  |  Chris Linthwaite 09/09/09
      19.   Panic visit and obviously with no results 15:56  |  Petteri 09/09/09
      20.   Hopefully We`ll Never Know 16:20  |  Jane 09/09/09
      21.   Jacques #7 - Not only "maybe". 16:44  |  S 09/09/09
      22.   The reality is that Israel needs the world much more than 16:49  |  El Hombre 2 U 09/09/09
      23.   Dutch Dirk 16:53  |  James 09/09/09
      24.   No 11...Mehmet ...Istanbul 17:10  |  Sohel Saheen 09/09/09
      25.   Dutch Dirk has it correct, Israel is in deep... 17:32  |  BBSNews 09/09/09
      26.   13bbsnews "Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." 17:49  |  John Donne 09/09/09
      27.   # 8 18:10  |  Harold 09/09/09
      28.   PUTIN?PUTIN WHO? 18:34  |  james hazan 09/09/09
      29.   PM to Russians time 18:49  |  DT 09/09/09
      30.   Mehmet from Istanbul - What an imagination 19:23  |  David Israel 09/09/09
      31.   The S-300 movie and book are next 19:31  |  IA 09/09/09
      32.   Guess, what, The media have speculated. 20:24  |  Stephen. 09/09/09
      33.   16bs "Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." 20:32  |  John Donne 09/09/09
      34.   amateur hour 22:49  |  peter rouget 09/09/09
      35.   11 Putin is on to them `they can run but they can`t ...` 01:43  |  lydia 10/09/09
      36.   I wonder 02:50  |  Colin Wright 10/09/09
      37.   maybe not about the hijacking... 02:53  |  Welshman 10/09/09
      38.   James, Dutch Dirk simply wrote the truth... 03:57  |  BBSNews 10/09/09
      39.   Would Israel`s intelligence services lie to us? 05:51  |  Mark Lincoln 10/09/09
      40.   Why would anyone send 05:55  |  Mark Lincoln 10/09/09
      41.   Russia needs a friend other than Iran. 13:19  |  Petra 10/09/09
      42.   No Putin! then did Bibi go to Moscow for a shot of Vodka? 22:25  |  Mark 10/09/09
      43.   Israeli Military Psychopathology 00:58  |  israelwatcher 11/09/09
      44.   Chosen People Eaters 00:48  |  Khalid Mufti 12/09/09
      45.   visit 18:38  |  alex 12/09/09
      46.   Did not meet Putin but meet with Russian Zionist President 09:36  |  Tayfun_Turkey 13/09/09
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